Tool for transferring a film

ABSTRACT

A hand-operated tool for transferring a film from a tape to a substrate includes a housing from which a film transfer member projects outwards and in which a film supply reel, from which the tape is pulled over the transfer member for transferring the film, and a winding-up reel are rotatably mounted, and a sliding coupling is provided for a torque transmission from the supply reel to the winding-up reel, the empty tape being wound up on the winding-up reel after transfer of the film ( 11 ) at the transfer member; at a bottom side of the housing which, when transferring the film to the substrate, faces this substrate, in a transition region between a housing part accommodating the transfer member and a housing part housing the reels, a supporting member defining a tilting support is provided on both sides of the housing main middle plane, which supporting member, in combination with the transfer member, provides a three-point support on the substrate.

This is the U.S. National Stage of International Application No.PCT/AT02/00196, filed on Jul. 5, 2002, which, in turn, derives benefitfrom Austrian Patent Application No. 1056/2001, filed Jul. 6, 2001.

The invention relates to a hand-operated tool for transferring a filmfrom a tape to a substrate, said tool comprising a housing from which afilm transfer member projects outwards and in which a film supply reel,from which the tape is pulled over the transfer member for transferringthe film, and a winding-up reel, preferably coaxially to the supplyreel, are rotatably mounted, and a sliding coupling provided for atorque transmission from the supply reel to the winding-up reel, theempty tape being wound up on the winding-up reel after transfer of thefilm at the transfer member.

Such a hand-operated tool, i.e. for transferring an adhesive film from acarrier tape to a substrate, is known from DE 196 05 811 C1; comparablehand-operated tools are used for transferring a correcting material filmto a paper substrate so as to cover parts, such as signs or lines,thereon. Examples of such hand-operated tools which are also called“correcting roller” are disclosed in WO 97/46475 A and in WO 99/37569 A.

When transferring a film to a substrate by means of the transfer memberof such a hand-operated tool, one is faced with the problem that thehand-operated tool with its housing must be precisely held and guided,unintentional lateral tilting of the housing occurring easily, which, inturn, i.a. will result in that the film is pressed with insufficientstrength against the substrate. In WO 99/37569 A a pivotal mounting ofthe transfer member in the housing has already been suggested, wherebythe transfer member can always be held planar on the substrate; this,however, gives rise to a comparatively complex construction, whilenevertheless the uniformity of the pressure applied to the film—via thetransfer member—during the transfer of the film to a substrate willstill solely depend on the practice of the person using thehand-operated tool. This disadvantage also applies if the film to betransferred is an adhesive film which is provided on a carrier tape andis transferred from there to the substrate by means of a transfermember, cf. also DE 36 38 722 C in addition to the previously mentionedDE 196 05 811 C. To a lesser degree this also is true if a film strip isprovided without a carrier tape and as such is transferred to thesubstrate, e.g. in the form of a self-adhesive strip, as disclosed e.g.in DE 30 25 345 C, or when tags are detached from a carrier tape and aretransferred to a substrate, e.g. as in the tools according to U.S. Pat.No. 5,806,713 A and U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,849 A. Besides, thehand-operated tool shown in DE 36 38 722 C (similarly also thehand-operated tools according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,127 A and EP104,989 A) has a bottom region facing the substrate during transfer ofthe adhesive strip, with which bottom region it could be applied on thesubstrate when used, yet then it will be difficult to exert a controlledpressure on the transfer member and via the latter on the adhesivestrip, so that the adhesive strip would poorly adhere to the substrate.On the other hand, in the tools according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,713 Aand U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,849 A, drive rollers are provided on the toolbottom side which are provided for a frictionally engaged transport ofthe carrier tape by the tool. Therefore, these drive rollers must beparticularly pressed against the substrate when the tool is being usedso as to rotatably drive them when displacing the tools; one problemhere is to press the transfer edge simultaneously uniformly against thesubstrate, which, however, is less critical with the comparativelystable labels concerned which have a body, than with a thin filmmaterial, in particular a correcting material which, when irregularlypressed against the substrate, will immediately result in a faultycoverage of the desired substrate region.

Finally, a different type of hand-operated tool is known from JP5-318989 A; this tool serves to transfer symbols from a tape to asubstrate, one tape portion each being pressed on by means of a broadroller, being cut off by means of a blade, and finally being manuallydetached from the substrate, leaving behind the symbol. Furthermore, thetool has two lateral running rollers on the rear housing end which,however, on account of their positions, render a uniform transfer of thetape portions more difficult.

It is now an object of the invention to provide a hand-operated tool ofthe initially defined type, with which a uniform, equal pressing of thefilm to the substrate is achieved across the film width in a simplemanner, without requiring a pivotal mounting of the transfer member, andwith which also the pressure on the transfer member can well be keptconstant when transferring greater film lengths, without requiringspecial practice on the part of the user.

The hand-operated tool of the initially defined type and providedaccording to the invention is characterized in that at a bottom side ofthe housing which, when transferring the film to the substrate, facesthis substrate, in a transition region between a housing partaccommodating the transfer member and a housing part housing the reels,a supporting means defining a tilting support is provided on both sidesof the housing main middle plane, which supporting means, in combinationwith the transfer member, provides a three-point support on thesubstrate. With this design, the aforementioned object is met in anadvantageous manner, and by this “three-point support”, a stable,uniform guidance of the hand-operated tool during the transfer of thefilm to the substrate is achieved, without an undesired lateral tiltingof the housing in the region of the transfer member, the transfer memberalways resting planar on the substrate even if it is rigidly arranged inthe housing. Of course, the supporting means need not be exactlypunctiform, much rather they can be formed by line-shaped, possibly eventwo-dimensional regions which, however, naturally must be in one planeand should not be too large (wide) so that they can provide the“three-point support”, and, moreover, for the housing, these supportregions of the supporting means form a tilting support with an axisabout which the housing—which acts as handling means, or grip part,respectively—can be tilted for pressing the transfer member onto thesubstrate; on account of the lever length given thereby—corresponding tothe distance between the transfer member, in particular its transferedge in case of a wedge-shaped transfer member, and the tilting axiswhich also is located in front of that region where the tool is gripped,i.e. in front of the reel accommodating housing part—the pressureexertion can well be controlled.

When transferring the film to the substrate, the hand-operated tool ismoved over the substrate, as usual, and in addition to the tansfermember, it will also rest on the substrate with the supporting meansthat project downwards from the housing. In order not to impede themovement over the substrate, it should be possible to move thesupporting means as smoothly as possible over the substrate, and forthis purpose, it is advantageous if the supporting means is formed by atleast one sliding surface molded to the housing and preferably widenedas compared to the housing. For the desired tilting of the housing aboutthe sliding faces, for a controlled pressing on of the transfer member,it is furthermore suitable if the sliding surface is designed in theform of arcuate sliding skids (in the lontigudinal direction of thetool).

On the other hand, the movement of the hand-operated tool over thesubstrate just as the aforementioned tilting are particularly assistedif the supporting means is formed by at least one roller mounted on thehousing, e.g. on an axle. In this manner, when using the hand-operatedtool, not only a simple rolling on the substrate becomes possible, butsuch a roller also particularly promotes a “tilting” of the housing witha view to a uniform pressing of the transfer member onto the substrate.

A design of particularly simple construction can be obtained if theroller is snapped into an undercut housing recess.

For a controlled guidance of the movement during the application of thefilm, e.g. when a correction is to be made in the direction ofapplication (i.e., a change of direction), it is advantageous if thesupporting means is formed by two rollers laterally mounted on thehousing. In this instance, it is also suitable if the two rollers arefitted onto an axle which passes through the housing. Furthermore, foran efficient construction it is advantageous if the axle in the housinginterior at the same time supports the transfer member.

On the other hand, it is also advantageous for a simple design of thehousing if the two rollers are put onto separate lateral axles.

For mounting the roller(s), it is, furthermore, suitable if theroller(s) is (are) attached in snap fit on the (respective) axle, or ifthe lateral rollers are inserted, e.g. snapped, into undercut recessesof the housing, respectively.

As regards a particularly simple construction of the housing as well asof the supporting means which is well suited for a production byinjection-molding, it is, moreover, particularly preferred if therollers are arranged on an axle mounted on the lower side of thehousing. For a simple mounting, it may, furthermore, be provided thatthe axle is snapped into bearing projection provided on the lower sideof the housing. Furthermore, it is particularly suitable for productionas well as for mounting purposes if the rollers are integrally formedwith the axle, e.g. as an injection-molded part.

The invention is usable with particular advantage in the transfer of acorrecting material film from a carrier tape to the substrate, sincethere, due to the sensitive, easily tearable material, a particularlyuniform pressure exertion is important. By way of a precaution, itshould be mentioned that many types of the mechanisms to be providedhere and including a supply reel, a sliding coupling and a winding-upreel are as such known from the prior art, e.g. from the initiallymentioned documents WO 97/46475 A and WO 99/37569 A, so that such amechanism comprising a sliding coupling via which the winding-up reel isdriven from the supply reel such that the tape, which is drawn off withthe film oriented towards the transfer member by pressing the latteronto the substrate, is kept tensioned and is transported to thewinding-up reel that simultaneously is driven by the supply reel, neednot be explained in more detail here. The winding-up reel has a largerdiameter than the supply reel so that it must slip relative to thesupply reel, the slip torque being chosen in relationship to the tensionof the tape, without the latter being able to tear. The supply reel andthe winding-up reel may be arranged coaxially, or they can also beaccommodated in the housing side by side, on parallel axes.

In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail by wayof preferred exemplary embodiments to which, however, it shall not berestricted, and with reference to the drawings. In detail,

FIG. 1 shows an illustration of a hand-operated tool for transferring afilm to a substrate and comprising a supporting means in the form of tworollers;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of this hand-operated tool;

FIG. 3 shows a front view of this hand-operated tool;

FIG. 4 shows a rear view of this hand-operated tool;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the front bottom region of thishand-operated tool in the region of the supporting means, thehand-operated tool being illustrated without rollers in FIG. 5 and withrollers in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 shows the bottom side of a hand-operated tool somewhat modifiedwhen compared with FIGS. 1 to 6;

FIG. 8 shows a partial section through the region of the supportingmeans of this hand-operated tool, according to line VIII—VIII of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a side view of a further hand-operated tool comprisingsliding skids as supporting means;

FIG. 10 shows a cross-section through the lower part of thishand-operated tool in the region of the sliding skids, according to lineX—X of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 show three further embodiments of the supportingmeans in sectional views of the housing bottom region comparable to FIG.10, i.e. in the form of a single roller (FIG. 11), in the form of tworollers slipped onto a single, continuous axle (FIG. 12), and in theform of two rollers designed in one piece and including an axlerotatably mounted on the housing lower side;

FIG. 14 shows a view according to line XIV—XIV of FIG. 13; and

FIG. 15 shows a view according to arrow XV in FIG. 13.

The hand-operated tool 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6 comprises a housing2 shaped to be comfortably held and serving as a handling means whichcommonly is formed of two shell-shaped housing halves (not shown inFIGS. 1 to 6, yet cf. FIG. 13 and WO 97/46475 A, respectively) andincludes a tongue-shaped transfer member 4 located in a narrower,forwardly arranged wedge-shaped housing part 3, which transfer memberprotrudes from the interior of the housing 1 through an opening, notfurther illustrated, located in its front housing part 3, to theoutside. This transfer member 4 has a front transfer edge 5, and a tape6, which is reeled off a supply reel contained in the interior ofhousing 2 (cf. also FIG. 9 in addition to FIGS. 2 and 4), extends overthis transfer edge 5. The supply reel 7 is rotated as the tape 6 isdrawn off and drives a winding-up reel 9 via a sliding coupling 8 merelyquite schematically illustrated in FIG. 10, which winding-up reel 9 hasa larger diameter than the supply reel 7 and on which the empty carriertape 6 is wound up after the film originally present thereon, of a whitecoating or correcting material, e.g., has been transferred to asubstrate 10 (cf. FIG. 2, e.g.).

In FIG. 2, a correcting material film 11 which has already beentransferred to the substrate 10 is schematically illustrated. The supplyreel 7 and the winding-up reel 9 preferably are arranged co-axially, asis known per se (cf. also FIG. 10).

According to FIG. 2, the hand-operated tool 1 is moved towards the rightin the direction of arrow 12 as the film 11 is being applied to thesubstrate 10. To apply a uniform, well-controlled pressure on thetransfer member 4, or on its transfer edge 5, respectively, during thismovement for the purpose of detaching the film 11 from tape 6 and toobtain its complete, qualitatively perfect transfer to the substrate 10,wherein, moreover, also an increased pressure is to be achieved by meansof a lever action, a supporting means 14 is provided in the presenthand-operated tool 1, at a distance from the transfer member 4 on thebottom side 13 of the hand-operated tool 1—i.e. on that side which facesthe substrate 10 when used according to FIG. 2, the hand-operated tool 1being additionally supported on the substrate 10 by this supportingmeans. In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 6, this supportingmeans 14 is formed by rollers 16, 17 arranged on either side of the mainmiddle plane 15 (cf. FIGS. 3 and 4). When transferring the film 11,these two rollers 16, 17 roll on the substrate 10, their contactingregions 16′, 17′ on the substrate 10 in combination with the transfermember 4, or its transfer edge 5, respectively, defining a kind ofthree-point support on the substrate 10, as is schematically illustratedalso on the whole at 18 in the bottom view in FIG. 7 in a somewhatmodified embodiment, yet with similar line-shaped contacting regions16′, 17′ and with the transfer edge 5. From the illustration of FIG. 2it is furthermore clearly visible that when the hand-operated tool 1 istilted with its housing 2 about the rollers 16, 17 towards the left,i.e. in counter-clock-wise direction, according to arrow 19, thepressure on the transfer member 4 is increased, and on account of thelever action according to the lever with the distance between therollers 16, 17 and the transfer member 4, a uniform, enhanced,well-controllable pressure can be exerted. For this purpose it is alsoimportant that both the transfer edge 5 and the supporting means 14,i.e. the roller 16, 17, are arranged substantially in front of thathousing part 3′ which is gripped with the hand when handling the tool,i.e. that (main) housing part 3′ in which the reels 7, 9 are housed. Asapparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, e.g., the supporting means 14 is arrangedin the transition region 3″ between the front housing part 3 (with thetransfer member 4) and the reel-accommodating housing part 3′.

From FIGS. 5 and 6 it can be seen that a bearing member 20 is molded tothe bottom side 14 of the housing 2 for mounting the rollers 16, 17.According to FIG. 5, this bearing member 20 has an integral axle 21 oneach side thereof (only one visible in FIG. 5), the two rollers 16, 17being slipped onto these axles 21 in a snap fit (not furtherillustrated) according to FIG. 6.

Due to the three-point support 18 described, the transfer member 4 canalso be rigidly attached in housing 2 without any problems, planarpressing on the substrate 10 nevertheless being also feasible bynon-practiced persons.

According to FIGS. 7 and 8, a one-piece roller 22 is provided as thesupporting means 14, which roller has a reduced diameter in its middleregion 23, and with this reduced-diameter region 23 it is snapped intoan undercut housing recess formed by two arcuate, lobe-shaped housingprojections 24, 25. The housing projections 24, 25 together with theremaining receiving opening in the housing thus form circular-arc-shapedbearing members for the cylindrical, reduced-diameter roller region 23.Laterally of the latter, enlarged-diameter roller regions 26, 27 arepresent which are comparable to the rollers 16, 17 in the exemplaryembodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 6, forming the three-point support 18together with the transfer part 4, or its transfer edge 5, respectively.The housing projections 24, 25 extend substantially comparable to theroller bearing recesses 28 visible in FIG. 5 adjacent the bearing part20, yet in the middle region of the housing 2, on either side of themiddle plane 15, and, furthermore, across the middle of the circledefined by the reduced-diameter roller region 23 to thus retain theroller 22 with its region 23 in an undercut housing recess 23′.

Likewise, it would also be conceivable to snap the rollers 16, 17 of theembodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 6 into undercut housing recessescomparable to the bearing recess 28, instead of snapping them onto theaxles 21. For this purpose, the bearing recess 28 in the illustration ofFIG. 5 would only have to be extended downwards to beyond the middle ofthe circle by means of a housing projection so as to arrive at theundercut shape.

In the embodiment of the hand-operated tool 1 according to FIGS. 9 and10, the supporting means 14 for the hand-operated tool 1 and for theaforementioned three-point support 18 is formed by sliding skids 29, 30which together define a sliding surface 31. The sliding skids 29, 30 arelaterally externally integrally molded to the lower side 13 of thehousing 2, and preferably they have an arcuate lower side so as tofacilitate sliding and tilting of the hand-operated tool 1 on thesubstrate 10.

In FIG. 11, an embodiment of a hand-operated tool 1 with a single roller22 is shown, which is modified relative to FIG. 7 insofar as here thisroller 22 is snapped onto a single axle 32. This axle 32 freelycantilevers on a lateral housing lobe 33 on the lower side 13 of thehousing, a corresponding opening 34 being provided in housing 2 on theopposite side, through which the roller 22 can be snapped onto the axle32.

In the sectional representation of FIG. 12, still another form of thesupporting means 14 is shown, again including two rollers 16, 17 whichnow—other than according to FIGS. 1 to 6—are snapped onto a single,continuous axle 32′; this axle 32′ extends through a lower, narrower,central housing part 35 of housing 2 where it also supports that portion37 of the tongue-shaped transfer member 4 which is present in thehousing interior 36, which portion projects from there outwards throughthe front-side housing opening (not illustrated).

Finally, in FIGS. 13 to 15, an embodiment of the supporting means 14with rollers 16, 17 which at present is particularly preferred is shownin a partly sectional illustration similar to FIG. 10, FIG. 11 or FIG.12, the rollers 16, 17 being provided integrally with an axle 32″ as aninjection-molded part. This roller-injection-molded structural element38 is fastened to the lower side of housing 2 by snapping in on thelobe-shaped bearing projections 39, 40 provided there. For this purpose,as is also visible form FIG. 14 in combination with the one bearingprojection, these bearing projections 39, 40 have a bearing recess 42accessible from below via a narrowed slit opening 41. The rollers 16, 17may also be formed with recesses 43 and spokes 44, respectively, so asto save material, as is shown in FIG. 15 for the one roller 17. Withsuch a design of the rollers 16, 17, also a slight resilience can beachieved which additionally helps to achieve the desired controllingeffect when using the hand-operating tool.

Finally, from FIG. 13 it is visible that the housing 2, as mentionedbefore, is designed in a per se conventional manner in two housinghalves 2 a and 2 b, respectively.

Differently from the embodiments described and illustrated so far, itmay also be provided, e.g., that the or each roller,respectively,—instead of being put onto an axle in a snap fit—may alsobe secured on the respective axle by means of a safety ring or the like.The rollers may be made of a relatively soft synthetic material havingcomparatively high friction, such as polyethylene, e.g. On the otherhand, the sliding skids 29 in the exemplary embodiment according toFIGS. 9 and 10 or, generally, parts defining such a sliding surface 31(according to the illustration of FIG. 10, also the two sliding skids29, 30 could be interconnected into a unitary sliding part on thehousing lower side 13) should be made of a harder, low-frictionsynthetic material, such as polystyrene, e.g.

Besides, it is, of course, also possible to provide a biaxial reelarrangement instead of the coaxial arrangement of supply reel 7 andwinding up reel 9 illustrated.

1. A hand-operated tool for transferring a film from a tape to asubstrate, said tool comprising a housing from which a film transfermember (4) projects outwards and in which a film supply reel, from whichthe tape is pulled over the transfer member for transferring the film,as well as a winding-up reel, which is coaxial to the supply reel, arerotatably mounted, and a sliding coupling provided for a torquetransmission from the supply reel to the winding-up reel, the tape beingwound up on the winding-up reel after transfer of the film at thetransfer member, wherein at a bottom side of the housing which, whentransferring the film to the substrate, faces this substrate, in atransition region between a housing part accommodating the transfermember and a housing part housing the reels, two separate supportingmeans defining a tilting support for the housing, which tilting supportis fixed relative to the housing, are externally provided on both sidesof a housing main middle plane, which supporting means, in combinationwith the transfer member, provide a three-point support on thesubstrate, wherein the supporting means are formed by rollers laterallymounted on the housing.
 2. A hand-operated tool according to claim 1,wherein the rollers are put onto an axle which passes through thehousing.
 3. A hand-operated tool according to claim 2, wherein the axlein the housing interior additionally supports the transfer member.
 4. Ahand-operated tool according to claim 2, wherein the axle is mounted onthe bottom side of the housing.
 5. A hand-operated tool according toclaim 4, wherein the axle is snapped into bearing projections providedon the bottom side of the housing.
 6. A hand-operated tool according toclaim 4 or 5, wherein the rollers are integrally formed with the axle.7. A hand-operated tool according to claim 6, wherein the rollers areintegrally formed as an injection molded part.
 8. A hand-operated toolaccording to claim 1, the rollers are put onto separate lateral axles.9. A hand-operated tool according to claim 8, wherein the rollers aremounted in snap fit on the respective axles.
 10. A hand-operated toolaccording to claim 1, wherein the rollers are inserted into undercuthousing recesses.
 11. A hand-operated tool according to claim 10,wherein the rollers are snapped into the undercut housing recesses.